Category: cozy mystery

I’m really excited to be featuring an interview with Courtny from The Courtagnoist, a super fun cozy mystery YouTube channel. When I’m in the mood to procrastinate, I like to check out what Courtny is up to and what cozies she’s been reading lately. I always walk away with a ton of new books to add to my TBR list and a smile on my face.

Courtny is a huge cozy mystery fan and a great resource for cozy community (both writers and readers). Settle back, grab a cookie or two, and see what Courtny has to say about starting your own YouTube channel, writing her own cozy mysteries, and the scoop on her favorite cookie.

Interview with Courtny

1 – What are your favorite things about cozy mysteries?

I love so many things about cozies! Where to start!?!? I love that you really do get to know the characters. They are all about creating a small town cozy feel. Of course we have the murders and the mysteries but we also having our heroic sleuth. One of the reasons that I love reading them so much is because I become tied to the characters! I love watching Katie Lightfoot grow in her magical abilities and figure out the whodunit in the Magical Bakeshop Mystery Series! Or I love watching Jules from The Peridale Cafe series grow in her relationship with Jess her adoptive daughter. It’s not just about the mystery, it’s about the characters too!

2 – Have you ever thought about writing your own cozy mystery? If so, what would your sleuth be like? What hook would you have?

Oh my goodness! This is a loaded question! Ha! I have thought about writing my own cozy mystery! Who hasn’t?! They are so much fun to read! I have started two cozies one is called Graded in Red (A Teacher in Trouble Series). The main character’s name is Maggie and she is a young woman who has to move back to her small town in Broken Bow, Oklahoma after falling in love with her married boss and finding that she isn’t who she thought she was. She moved back to start life over as a history teacher. This one is very close to home. Not the falling in love with her married boss! Get that out of your head! Ha! But the small town, I live in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and being a history teacher. I have my Masters in American Studies and was a history teacher before my current job.

The second book that I started was called Premonitions on Paper, The Psychic Librarian Cozy Mystery series. Amelia Buchard is starting over after ending a nasty divorce and finishing her Masters Degree in Library Sciences. With the blessing and encouragement of her Aunt Rachel, Amelia packs up her bags and her Australian Shepard Wesley and moves to Astoria, Oregon. A small town of 20,000 people and becomes the Head Librarian.

I’m not sure how well I’ve written them. I have always been great at writing research papers and things of that sort. But when it comes to writing fiction, I’m a little lost and A LOT self conscious.

3 – What inspired you to start your own YouTube channel?

To be honest my fiancé actually encouraged me to start my own YouTube channel! It was my very first summer off that I wasn’t in school myself and I needed something to do. I am not very good at sitting still or not having something to do. I was watching a lot of booktube and Aaron suggested that I start my own since I loved to read so much. I was super excited and sort of dived in head first! I never looked back and I have loved every second of it. The people I’ve met. The books I’ve been introduced to. It has been wonderful.

4 – What advice would you give someone who is thinking of starting a YouTube channel?

I would tell them to stop thinking about it! Do it! You never know how much you’ll like it until you try! It is okay to not have perfect shelves, the best lighting, or camera. I filmed on my iPhone for the first year in a half. I edited everyone on iMovie. Don’t go spend tons of money on the top of the line items until you know that this is something that you are going to want to do for years as a hobby. I just purchased a good camera.

5 – What’s on your cozy mystery TBR list? What books would you recommend to someone who has never read a cozy before?

Oh!!!! There are soooo many books on my Cozy Mystery TBR list! Where to start?! I am excited to read Spell Booked by Joyce & Jim Lavene, A tale of Two Kitties by Sophie Kelly, and Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien this month! With my Cozyopoly helping me pick out my Cozy TBR every month I am loving it!

For those that have never picked up a cozy before I would suggest Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander, The Peridale Mystery series by Agatha Frost, and Port Danby series by London Lovett. I have a couple of Top 5 videos for Beginners into Cozies!

Hahaha! YES! Cookies are the absolute best! I would have to say that my favorite cookie is actually a No Bake Cookie! There is just something perfect about oatmeal, chocolate, and peanut butter all mixed together! It is the perfect cookie!

7 – A penguin walks through your front door wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why did he come visit you?

Merl waddles in with a sombrero on applying sunscreen to his beak, “Are you ready to go?!”

I look up from my book, right eyebrow cocked in annoyance , I have less than 10 pages left and he knows not to interrupt a reader in their natural habitat.

Shaking his head and giggling, “You always figure it out! One day there will be a mystery you can’t solve!” Merl grabs my rolling suit case and heads out to the car for our week long cruise on the cruise ship Pearl.

“I doubt that! Plus this is just fiction! It’s not like I will ever have to figure out a real mystery!” I holler as I finished the last page, satisfied that I did indeed figure out the whodunit.

Little did I know that fiction was about to become reality.

8 – What else would you like us to know about you?

I would love to become your friend! I love getting to know people and getting to talk about books! Don’t be afraid of reaching out to me! I am nice! I promise! Not scary at all! I’m probably more afraid to talk to you then you are of me!

About Courtny

Hello! My name is Courtny! I am a booktuber, bookstagramer, blogger, and more -er words. Haha! I am a very awkward person when it comes to introducing myself! *waves awkwardly* I started my booktube channel about two years ago. I realized that there was this whole world out there full of people who loved books as much as me. There weren’t a lot of people in my life that I could geek out over books with. I focus mainly on Cozies! There is just something wholesome, loving, and safe about Cozy Mysteries. I can’t get enough of them! I’ve always loved the idea of being a sleuth! A detective! A PI! A Slewfoot! Oh you know! I blame Harriet the Spy! Sherlock Holmes! Ms. Marple! Jessica Fletcher!

Thank you so much for being on the blog, Courtny! Your no bake cookies sound delicious. Oatmeal, chocolate, and peanut butter is a wonderful combination. Keep working on your cozy mystery books. They sound great and I can’t wait to read them, especially the one set in Astoria, Oregon as I lived there for a while.

I have something to confess. Just give me a moment while I gather up my courage. Here we go . . . I’m a procrastinator.

Not with everything, mind you. When it comes to eating chocolate chip cookies, I don’t procrastinate that particular activity at all. But when it comes to things like preparing our taxes or doing laundry, that’s when my talent for putting things off for yet another day come into play.

One of my favorite ways to procrastinate is by watching YouTube videos and listening to podcasts. I figure if they’re related to cozy mysteries than it really isn’t procrastination, it’s research, right?

What does your To Do List look like today? Are there a few things on there that you’d rather not do? If so, check out the links below and avoid those unpleasant tasks for a little while longer.

Reedsy’s podcast is targeted at aspiring authors with the aim of demystifying the process of writing and self-publishing a book. The second season features cozy mystery author, Bella Falls who shares the writerly journey behind her Southern Charms series.

Courtny is the cheerful, upbeat host of this YouTube channel which features all things cozy mystery including book reviews, book hauls, read-a-thons, and unboxings. You also get a peek at her daily life through her vlogs.

Cozy mystery author, Diane Vallere, shares info on writing cozy mysteries, her books, as well as a look at what goes on behind the scenes on her YouTube channel. I was particularly interested in this video, where she talks about the writing process behind The Pajama Frame, one of the books in her Madison Night Mystery series.

Ellie Alexander’s You Tube channel features videos on her series and the research behind her books, as well as her fun 5 Things Friday videos. I laughed out loud during this video when she reads some of the worst reviews she’s received.

Do you like to watch YouTube videos and listen to podcasts? Please share any cozy mystery related links in the comments below, and I’ll add them to the list.

Once upon a time, I shared seven reasons why you should read cozy mysteries, but I realized that I hadn’t explained exactly what a cozy mystery is. And I probably should because it’s a question I’m frequently asked once someone finds out that I’m a writer.

Often the person asking will get a blank look on their face when I say, “cozy mysteries.” I then follow up with, “You know, like Murder She Wrote and Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple books.” They usually nod their head after that. Cozy mysteries might not be their cup of tea, but at least they now have an idea about what it is that I write.

If someone wants to dig deeper into what the cozy mystery genre is all about, I usually share some of the common themes or tropes:

1 – Cozies feature an amateur sleuth, as opposed to someone with professional credentials such as a law enforcement officer, medical examiner, lawyer, private detective etc.

2 – The sleuth often has a sidekick who helps her solve the murder. Notice how I said “her?” If you had to place a bet on whether the protagonist of a cozy you were about to pick up was male or female, I’d go with female. But, while the sleuths are often women, there are a number of great cozy series out there that feature male sleuths.

3 – One of my favorite things about cozy mysteries is the quirky supporting cast. I love getting to know the secondary characters over the course of a series.

4 – You’ll often find cozies have a small town or village setting. Everyone knows each other and everyone knows each other’s business. However, this isn’t always the case. I’ve read a few series set in large cities and I think it works just as well.

5 – One of the reasons I decided to write my own cozy mysteries was so that I could share them with my mother. And the only way I’d share my books with my mom is if they were clean and gentle reads. Otherwise, it’d just be too embarrassing. If there’s any sex, it’s usually implied and takes place behind closed doors. And violence is kept to a minimum. Sure, a murder usually takes place, but the author doesn’t dwell on the blood and gore of it all. You also won’t typically find naughty words.

6 – At their heart, cozy mysteries are puzzles with plenty of clues and red herrings for the reader to collect as they try to solve the mystery themselves.

7 – Cozy readers love series. They want to get drawn into the world the author has created, following the adventures (and misadventures) of the amateur sleuth and the supporting characters as they develop and grow over time.

8 – Most of all, cozy mysteries are fun reads. They’re a chance to escape for a little while from the realities of life. Why not ignore that pile of clothes that needs to be folded and those dishes that need to be washed for a little while. Run a bubble bath, pour a glass of wine, and relax over a good mystery.

Now, having said all that, I’ve been seeing some really interesting discussions as of late on some Facebook writing groups about the definition of cozy mysteries.

Is it okay to have some swearing? Can you have a little bit of steamier romance? Is there such a thing as an “edgy cozy”? Does your protagonist have to be an amateur? Do you have to feature a pet, hobby, craft, and/or cooking? Does there have to be a murder? And so on and so on.

It’s been really fascinating to consider what the boundaries of the cozy mystery genre are and how it has evolved over time.

What do you think? What are the do’s and don’ts of cozy mysteries for you?

People often ask me why I write cozy mysteries and I tell them it’s because I love to read them. I’ve been reading them in one form or another since I was a girl, if you count Nancy Drew as cozy mysteries, and continue to devour them to this day.

If you’ve never read a cozy mystery and you’re wondering why you should, here are seven reasons why I love cozies.

1 – They’re fast reads.

Cozy mysteries are generally shorter books. A typical novel-length cozy might be anywhere between 60,000 – 75,000 words. Cozy novellas are quite popular these days as well and they’re much shorter (perhaps between 20,000 – 30,000 words). Compare that to an epic fantasy which usually comes in well over 100,000 words and you can see the appeal when you’re looking for a fast read.

2 – It’s a chance to escape.

The world is crazy these days. The news is scary. Life can be downright depressing at times. Sometimes, you just need to escape into another world with a good book. Cozies are typically fun, clean reads—no gruesome violence, generally no swearing, and sex is just hinted at (if it takes place at all). When you pick up a cozy mystery, you know what you’re getting. Light some candles, run a bubble bath, pour a glass of wine or a cup of hot chocolate, relax, and enjoy your escape from the real world for a while.

3 – You get to solve a puzzle.

Cozy mysteries are just that—mysteries. Which means you get to try to figure out who did it along with the sleuth. You might not always guess correctly, but it’s fun to note the clues and red herrings, consider the various suspects, and think about motives and alibis.

4 – Learning about new things and places.

The amateur sleuths in cozies often have an interesting hobby or occupation, something you may have no experience with, or live someplace you’ve never visited. For example, I share my experiences living on a boat in my cozy series. I love learning about new things and places, especially from the comfort of my armchair. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll take up llama husbandry or glass-blowing.

5 – A satisfying ending.

Everyone likes to see the bad guy get caught, right? When you pick up a cozy, you know that justice will be served. Finishing one of these books is always so satisfying—the mystery is solved, good triumphs over evil and all of the loose ends are tied up.

6 – Characters you want to spend more time with.

Cozy mysteries are usually part of series, not stand-alone books. And there’s a good reason for this—you end up loving the characters and can’t wait to read the next book and see what happens to them. Personally, I love cozies that are chock-full of quirky characters that make me laugh out loud. It’s fun to see how they develop over the course of the series.

7 – They go well with chocolate.

I’m assuming everyone knows this already, but just in case, let’s just talk about how well reading a cozy mystery goes with nibbling on some chocolate. Or nibbling on some cookies, or candy, or a piece of cake, or two pieces of cake, or the whole darn cake because no one is around to see you. . .well, you get the idea.

So go on, if you haven’t read a cozy mystery before, now’s the time to grab one and try it out. Just make sure you stock up on some chocolate first.